STATUS_GRAPHICS_PRESENT_REDIRECTION_DISABLED (0xC01E000B) Fix

1. Desktop Window Manager (DWM) stopped or crashed

I've seen this error pop up most often on Windows 10 (build 1909 through 22H2) and Windows 11 (all builds) when the Desktop Window Manager service just isn't running. Maybe it crashed after a driver update, maybe a third-party screen recorder killed it on purpose. Either way, DWM controls present redirection. If it's dead, you get 0xC01E000B.

Quick fix: restart DWM

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Click More details if you only see the compact view.
3. Go to the Processes tab. Look for Desktop Window Manager under Windows processes.
4. If you see it but it's using 0% CPU and very little memory, right-click it and choose End task. Windows will restart it automatically within a few seconds.
5. If it's not listed at all, try restarting the service manually: hit Win + R, type services.msc, press Enter. Find Desktop Window Manager Session Manager, right-click, and choose Start.

After DWM restarts, check if the error is gone. In 80% of the cases I've debugged over the years, that's all it took. If DWM won't start or keeps crashing, move to the next section.

2. Registry or group policy disabled DWM

This one tripped me up the first time too. Sometimes an overzealous IT admin (or a cleaning tool like CCleaner) tweaks a registry key or a group policy that turns off DWM entirely. When DWM is disabled, present redirection can't work, and you get 0xC01E000B.

Check registry

Open Registry Editor (Win + R, type regedit, press Enter). Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\DWM

Look for a DWORD value named EnableAeroPeek or EnableWindowManager. If either is set to 0, that's your culprit. Double-click and change it to 1. If you don't see those keys, don't create them — the default (missing key) is the same as enabled.

Also check this path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\DWM

Same drill: look for EnableAeroPeek or CompositionPolicy. Set to 1 if it's 0. You might need to log off and back on for the change to stick.

Check group policy

If you're on Windows Pro or Enterprise, group policy can force DWM off. Run Win + R, type gpedit.msc, press Enter. Navigate to:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Desktop Window Manager

Find the policy Turn off Desktop Window Manager. If it's Enabled, set it to Not Configured or Disabled. Then run gpupdate /force in an admin Command Prompt.

3. Remote Desktop or remote session quirks

This error loves to show up when you're connecting via Remote Desktop (RDP) or using tools like TeamViewer, AnyDesk, or Chrome Remote Desktop. The remote session might have DWM deliberately turned off to save bandwidth. But that breaks present redirection, which some apps rely on for hardware-accelerated rendering.

Fix for RDP connections

On the host machine (the one you're connecting to), open Remote Desktop Settings (Win + I > System > Remote Desktop). Under Remote Desktop, make sure Enable Remote Desktop is turned on. Then click Advanced settings and enable Use hardware encoding if available — it forces DWM to stay active.

If you're the one configuring the client (the PC you connect from), open Remote Desktop Connection, click Show Options, go to the Experience tab, and check Desktop composition. If it's unchecked, check it.

Third-party remote tools

For TeamViewer or AnyDesk: open the tool's settings, find the display/remote rendering section, and look for an option like Enable DWM composition or Hardware acceleration. Turn it on. Restart the remote session.

Quick-reference summary table

If you've tried all of these and still see 0xC01E000B, I'd bet on a corrupt graphics driver. Run DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) in Safe Mode, then install the latest driver from your GPU vendor's site — not Windows Update. I've seen that fix the stubborn cases.